Remember When
by KooKoo 4 Kaiba
Summary: In his last moments, Master Splinter achieves final peace through the strength of his sons.  Focuses on all of the turtles.


I've always wanted to write one of those over 5k words one shots. They're so awesome! I love reading them and thought I'd try my hand at one. While I know that I've met (and exceeded) my goal of 5k words, I can only hope that it's awesome! That's for you to decide. :)

Before you read the story, though, I'd like to say a few things. Firstly, I'd like to say sorry for how awful Mikey's jokes are. Why are they so awful? Because I made them up! I'm known for making notoriously bad jokes in my family. Secondly, I apologize for the amount of page breaks in here. I just love page breaks! They're so useful. Thirdly I'd like to thank my older sister for coming up with the summary, and last, but definitely not least, I'd like to thank xTMNTx for reading over this for me and giving me amazing feedback!

Since that's over, I guess I should do the disclaimer. I do not own TMNT or any copyrighted or trademarked material I might have placed in the story. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Sensei, please don't leave us."<p>

"C'mon, Master Splinter, we need ya."

"Why can't you stay with us?'"

"I don't want you to go!"

The old rat smiled wearily. How he wished he could reassure his sons that everything would be alright and that the next day he would be well again, but he could not bring himself to tell them such a lie. They had all known that this day would come. They had all known that one day he would grow ill, too ill, and so he had. He had felt it in his bones long before now, but he knew that in this very moment his fate was inescapable. He was going to die. For the past two weeks he had been bedridden, and not once during that time had his loyal sons left his side. His wonderful sons, for whom he would do anything. The time had come, though, for him to finally say goodbye to the greatest joys he had ever been given in life.

"My sons, there is nothing we can do to change our fates," Master Splinter explained in his quickly deteriorating voice. "My time has come, and while it pains me to leave you, know that we will never truly be apart."

He could already see the overwhelming sadness in his students' eyes. Michelangelo's face was streaked with tears and Donatello's eyes were watering. Raphael was trying to hide his tears, but everyone knew he was crying on the inside, even if he didn't ever show it, and Leonardo...oh, how the old rat's heart wrenched when he looked at the expression of pure despair on his eldest son's face. It pained the aged master to see his sons in such a miserable state, but it could not be helped. He had to flow with change and life itself, no matter how difficult the task might be.

"Master, what are we going to do without you?" Donatello asked, his usually calm tone sounding more forced and distraught.

"Yeah, Sensei, we're all gonna go crazy without you here," Michelangelo backed his brother up, though his voice cracked and wavered.

"I should hope that you will not; your elder brothers will have neither the time nor the patience to deal with it if you do," Master Splinter said wearily.

"You bet we won't," Raphael snapped. Even his voice sounded strained.

"They're all telling the truth," Leonardo finally spoke. "We all need you – _I_ need you, Master! Don't you see what this will do to us? Don't you know how much we rely on you? We'll all fall apart without you here, Sensei. I will have failed you!"

The old master smiled sadly at his eldest son. He had placed so much responsibility upon Leonardo's shoulders, something for which he was unsure he would ever forgive himself. It was unfair that he had to carry such a heavy burden, but it would taste a lie to say that the old rat was not proud that he had done so, for he did it well.

"Leonardo, my son, far too many times have you underestimated your abilities. You no longer need me, nor do you rely on me; you rely on each other, and that is the way it should be. You will not fall apart, and you will not fail me, Leonardo. Know that I have faith in you – in all of you."

"But...how can you be so sure?" Leonardo asked.

A reminiscent smile appeared on Master Splinter's face. "Do you remember the first time you all went to the surface world?"

* * *

><p>No one would have ever expected a dojo to be in a sewer underground New York City, nor would they have expected to find four ten-year-old mutant turtles practicing ninjutsu under the guidance of a rat, but there they were. The rat, Master Splinter, silently observed the turtles, who were sparring each other. The one with a blue bandana was sparring the one in orange, while the turtle in red sparred the one in purple. The rat watched them all closely, making sure that none of them injured each other badly.<p>

Even one who was not trained in the ways of ninjutsu could tell that out of all the turtles the one in blue, Leonardo, was the best fighter. Though he was still young and had much to learn, his posture was excellent. He kicked and hit with grace and precision as he fought his opponent. The way he carried himself in battle, however, could also tell a great deal about how he acted outside of the dojo. His eyes, which were locked on his opponent's, blazed with a resolute fire that seemed to drive him towards one thing: perfection. Anyone who knew Leonardo knew that he was a perfectionist. They would also know, however, that he looked for it only in himself. That is, he didn't expect anyone else to strive for it as much as he did. He felt as though he was the only one who was required to find it, the only one who didn't have it. Anyone who knew Leonardo would also know that this was ridiculous. Perfection is a thing impossible to achieve, but some people believe that they can acquire it. Leonardo was one of those people. He would train for hours on end in the dojo, hours spent simply on mastering what his Sensei had taught him: agility, stealth, and form. If any of the brothers were the closest to perfection in these elements, it would be Leonardo. Yet the boy always seemed to think that he needed to know more, to _be_ more, and while it is a noble thing to strive to be the best one can be, it is also possible to push too hard. He would sometimes practice breathing quietly and with such little depth so much that black spots would invade his vision, bend his body until it was immobile, or practice kata until he could no longer stand. His father and brothers worried about him on such occasions, but they also knew that if anyone could take care of himself, it was Leonardo. He was capable, cool-headed, and mature far beyond his years. He was everything the eldest brother should be and everything a leader should be.

Michelangelo, the orange-banded turtle facing off against Leonardo, could not have been more different. He dodged his brother's attacks with a bouncy and restless energy. He was very light of foot and seemed to dance this way and that as he avoided the hands that wanted to bruise him and the feet that wished to break him. Michelangelo had always possessed a knack for athletics along with a happy and carefree nature. He kept his brothers' spirits up in the dark sewers to which they had been exiled. He was a cheerful spirit, and his aura glowed like the sunshine that they were forbidden from. The turtles' father had always told them of the terrible misdeeds of humans and how they would never accept what they did not understand. But unlike the Grinch, who had been charged with a small and shrunken heart, Michelangelo had been given an exceptionally large one. Even though he knew that the humans would never accept him or his brothers, he would accept them and their decision to drive his family to the recesses of the sewers. He would love his own enemy while they shunned him. He cared so much about others and how they felt and tried his best every day to make his family as happy as he was, but he often went further than was necessary. He had many bruises, physical and emotional, from when a prank had gone too far or when he had cracked one too many bad jokes, and while the words they sometimes said hurt, nothing could ever hurt him more than seeing his brothers unhappy.

On the other side of the dojo, the turtle in red fought his brother in purple. Though Leonardo was the most skilled of the group, Raphael was the strongest, something he took tremendous pride in. With every punch and swipe he took at his brother, it was easy to see the force and fury behind them. While Leonardo was driven by perfection, Raphael was driven by anger. He was the resident hothead of the group. While his temper got the best of him sometimes and caused him to hurt others, he also used it as a great advantage. He fought with a strength and passion that none of his brothers possessed, and more than that, he fought to protect them. In addition to being incendiary, he was very protective of his family. After all, he didn't have anyone else. Though his hotheadedness and standoffish nature often gave the impression that he couldn't care less, his true feelings belied those conjectures. If there was a single term his brothers would use to describe him, it would be loyal. If any of them were ever in danger, they knew that Raphael would always be there to get them out, guaranteed.

As the purple masked turtle fought his brother in red, it was clear how much he hesitated. But that was just who Donatello was. He was quiet and unassuming, never speaking out of turn or deliberately hurting someone. But behind his meek manner was a brilliant and curious mind. Donatello had never stopped asking questions ever since his mouth was able to form words. Every thought his mind produced seemed to generate even more, and even though he constantly gained answers, they were never enough to satisfy. Donatello was so curious, almost to a fault. If there was an answer he wanted to know, he wouldn't stop until he found it. In these cases, meek and quiet Donatello became relentless and stubborn, always believing there was an answer for everything. But with his great intellect came a plague. With all he knew of the world and how it worked, he also knew how much could go wrong. When his brothers were hurt, he knew all of the infections or unseen injuries there could be hiding underneath their skin. On the other hand, though, he would also know how to fix such ailments. It was a gift and a curse, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. He loved his family so much, and anything he could ever do to help them was an indispensable gift.

The rat, who had been silently watching the whole time, clapped his hands twice, signaling an end to the matches. The turtles instantly obeyed their master's command and stopped fighting. They lined up, eldest to youngest, and knelt before the old rat.

"Well done, my sons," Master Splinter told them. "You have greatly improved since your last lesson. However, there are still some improvements that can be made. Michelangelo, you must focus more. Raphael, do not put so much power into your attacks; you waste energy. Donatello, you must fight back and not simply rely on your defense. Leonardo, you must work more on the position with which you hold your katana. You have done very well, but you must progress even more if you are to be a great leader."

At the mention of the word "leader," Raphael growled. Only a few weeks ago their Sensei had announced Leonardo as the leader, much to the hothead's dismay. Michelangelo and Donatello didn't care that much, for they had known that they would not be chosen, but Raphael had cared greatly. _He_ had wanted to be chosen as leader. _He_ was the strongest. What did Leonardo have that he didn't? These thoughts plagued his mind often, and as a result of their master's decision, a wedge had been forced between him and his older sibling. The once chummy brothers had begun quarreling and fighting with each other, making their relationship even worse. They both longed for the days when there was not such a barrier between them, but time does not flow backwards.

"You are excused for today, my sons," Master Splinter said to them.

"Domo arigato gozaimashita," the turtles chanted together before standing up and walking out of the dojo.

"Did you hear that? Master Splinter said that we did really well!" Michelangelo chirped.

"He said that you needed to focus, and I couldn't agree more. You were spacing off for half of the lesson!" Leo scolded.

"Oh, lay off, Splinter Junior. It's not your job to be the teacher," Raph said irately.

"No, but it's my job to be the leader," Leo countered.

"I know, but I can't imagine why," Raphael muttered.

"Oh, not this again! Raph, we've been over this before. Master Splinter chose me. I know you don't like it, but deal with it!"

"Guys, can you please stop fighting?" Donatello asked quietly.

The two elder brothers glared at each other angrily but did as Donatello had asked. It wasn't worth it.

"I'm gonna go for a walk," Raph annouced.

"You should tell Master Splinter first," Leo chided.

"Why? I'm just gonna walk around the sewers for a bit, that's all," Raph said.

"But-"

"I don't care!" Raph roared as he stomped out of the lair. He was absolutely furious. Who did Leo think he was anyway, ordering him around like that? Oh, he'd show him who was leader!

"Wait, Raph!" Raphael heard a small voice call out behind him. Raph turned to see Donatello running towards him.

"What do you want, Don?" Raph asked impatiently. He wasn't in the mood for this.

"I want to come with you," Don replied.

"No," Raph answered simply.

"Please? I won't slow you down, I promise," Don pleaded.

"I said no! Besides, why would I want to hang out with a wimp like you who can't even fight back?" Raph snapped angrily. As soon as the words escaped his mouth, though, he instantly regretted them. He had really gone too far this time, and the hurt on Donatello's face was easy to see. Raph couldn't bring himself to look at his brother's wide, distressed eyes.

"I...I'm sorry," was all that Don could manage to say before turning his back and leaving.

Raph felt angrier than ever, but not at Donatello. He was angry at himself. Why did he always act that way around Don? He was always snapping at him or saying mean things. They all knew that Don didn't like to fight, but that didn't mean that he couldn't. On the contrary, Don was just as talented a fighter as the rest of them. Why couldn't he ever stop and think before he said things like that? Also, why did he keep on bickering with Leo? It wasn't like Leo had chosen himself to be leader. Why couldn't he just accept that he wasn't good enough? Why couldn't he get his head to _shut up_?

With all the swirling thoughts in his mind, Raphael couldn't get his head to stop spinning. He was so mad, so confused, so...he didn't even know what, but he couldn't take it anymore. He needed some air. Not the stinking sewer air he constantly breathed every day, but _fresh_ air.

That's when he spotted the uncovered manhole.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe he would just walk off like that!" Leo exclaimed. "He's such a hothead. Why can't he listen to a single word I say?"<p>

"Jeez, chillax, bro! He does stuff like this all the time," Mikey told his older brother.

"Well, he shouldn't."

"But he does."

"Ugh, I know, Mikey. I know. It's just...ever since Master Splinter chose me as leader, he's been so mad at me. I know why. I know that he wanted to be leader, and, quite frankly, I'm starting to wish that Master Splinter _had_ chosen him."

"Aw, Leo, don't talk like that! Cheer up! Don't let Raph's bad attitude get you down in the dumps. Master Splinter chose _you._ He chose you because...because you're awesome! I mean, Raph's awesome too, but...Master Splinter just chose you, ok? And we all trust you."

Unfortunately for Mikey, he didn't get any positive response from his speech or any response at all, for that matter. Leo was just staring off into space with his thinking face on. Mikey frowned. He was going to get his brother to smile.

"Hey, Leo."

No response.

"Leo. Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo. Leeeeooooo! _Leo_!"

"What?"

"Knock, knock!"

"Ugh, Mikey, no! I don't want to listen to another stupid joke!"

"Aw, please? Just one? It'll make you feel better."

"Ok, fine, just one."

"Yay! Knock, knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Inuit."

"Inuit who?"

"_Inuit_ was you!"

Leo groaned long-sufferingly. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's like, 'I knew it was you,' you know?"

"Yes, Mikey, I got it."

"Alright, knock, knock!"

"Mikey, you said just one!"

"Aw, come on, just one more?"

"I said no! Why are you always so immature? Now leave me alone!"

Leo stormed off, leaving Mikey stunned at his brother's sudden outburst. "Well, I thought it was funny. Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" Mikey called after his brother.

A frustrated groan and a door closing were all the response that he got. Mikey pouted. He turned to see his brother Don walking in through the door. He looked sad too.

"Hey, Don! Watcha doin'?" Mikey asked bubbily.

"Nothing," Don replied despondently. "I asked Raph if I could go with him, but he said no."

"Oh. Was he being mean again?"

Don nodded. "Yeah, it was stupid of me to bother him."

"No, it was stupid of him to snap at you. You should really stand up for yourself."

"I know."

"Oh well, it's doesn't really matter all that much. Leo's being a meanie-head too."

Don cracked a smile. "Really?"

"Yup, we're the only fun ones. It's just us, two bachelors knockin' about in the wild."

"That didn't make any sense."

"It's from Ice Age."

"I know what it's from, but it didn't make any sense."

"Whatever. You wanna play something?"

"Sure."

* * *

><p>It was six o' clock when the turtles started to get worried. Raph had left hours ago and still wasn't back. Their hotheaded brother had been known to take long walks in the sewers, but this was crazy. Leo paced back and forth impatiently while his other two brothers sat nervously on the couch.<p>

"It's been two hours," murmured Leo. "He should be back by now."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, right Donnie?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, Raph can handle himself. He probably just lost track of the time," Don suggested.

"I know, but I just can't help feeling like something's wrong," Leo said. "I'm going after him."

"What? Leo, no, you can't just leave without telling Sensei," Don told him.

"Master Splinter can't know that I let Raph leave the lair by himself without his permission either. Look, you two have to stay here and make sure that Sensei doesn't suspect anything. Can you do that?" Leo asked.

Mikey looked doubtful. "He'll probably figure it out even if we try."

"Can you at least try to give me some time then?" Leo inquired.

Don sighed. "We can try."

Leo smiled. "Good, I'll come back as soon as I can." With those words Leo left the lair, leaving Mikey and Don by themselves again.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man! This is bad. This is really, _really_ bad! When Master Splinter finds out, he'll make us do a hundred flips at least!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Get a hold of yourself! If you keep on doing that, he'll find out sooner," Don told him. "We've just got to wait until Leo comes back with Raph. So just act naturally, ok?"

"Ok, um, so how do we act naturally?"

"Well, just do what you normally do."

"My brain isn't working! I can't think of things that I usually do!"

"How can you not be able to think of things you usually do? I can think of ten."

"I don't know, I get like this when I'm under pressure."

"We're not under pressure yet, so calm down. You're going to make me go crazy."

"How do I calm down?"

"Let me think. Um, name a body of water that borders the United States."

"Canada!"

"...Let's try that again. What's your name?"

"My name...what's my name? Oh my gosh, I don't know my name!"

Don face-palmed. "Mikey, this is just ridiculous."

"No, I really can't think of my name! Who am I?"

"I just said your name!"

"Oh. Mikey?"

"Yes, your name is Michelangelo. Now tell me, Michelangelo, how many fingers do I have?"

Mike was about to answer when Master Splinter walked into the room. "Hello, my sons," he addressed them.

"Hi, Sensei," the two little turtles greeted.

"May I ask what you are doing?" the old rat asked.

"We're playing a guessing game," Don replied.

"It's really hard! Donnie made me guess what my name was and I didn't know!" Mikey added.

Master Splinter chuckled. "I see. Tell me, where are your brothers?"

"Um, they're in our room," Don lied.

"Yeah, yeah, they're in our room!" Mikey shouted. Don gave him a look telling him not to say anything, but he didn't see it.

"I see. What are they doing in there?" the aged master asked.

"They're playing a guessing game too," Mikey answered.

"That is strange, for I cannot hear them. Are you sure they are in your room?"

"Yeah, they're just playing in sign language!"

Don looked at his brother in bewilderment. Sign language? Really? They didn't even know sign language! They were doomed.

As if he had heard the small turtle's thoughts, Master splinter pointed out, "I did not know that you knew sign language, my sons."

"We do! See, this is the sky and this is earth," Mikey said, waving his hands in a way that was anything but sign language.

"In that case, might I be able to go in there and see them?" Master Splinter inquired.

"No!" the two brothers exclaimed suddenly.

Master Splinter raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Well, you see, they're practicing, and they want to show you what they've learned after they're really good. We weren't actually supposed to tell you what they were doing," Mikey replied. At least there was a hint of truth in that one.

"Ah, I see. Then I shall wait for them to finish their lesson. Have fun with your guessing game, my sons."

As soon as Master Splinter was out of sight, Mikey frantically whispered, "We're _so_ dead it's not even funny. There's no way we'll make it out of this alive!"

"Yeah, and you sure did a lot to help us out," Don whispered back. "Sign language? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Like I said, I freak out under pressure. What are we gonna do?"

"We have to get Leo and Raph."

"Leo told us to stay here, though!"

"There's nothing we can do here. Besides, Leo's taking too long. We have to find them!"

The two remaining turtles got up and sneaked out of the lair, but they didn't notice the pair of eyes that was staring at them intensely. Master Splinter was definitely no idiot, and he knew what sign language was supposed to look like. While he was irritated and rather disappointed that his sons would lie to him and sneak off without his permission, he also knew that they had to learn to take care of their own problems by themselves. He only hoped that he was making the right choice.

* * *

><p>"When I find Raph," Leonardo muttered to himself, "he's going to be in some serious trouble." Leo had been searching the sewers for what seemed like hours, thoroughly investigating every nook and cranny. He'd called out his brother's name hundreds of times, but there was always no reply. He was beginning to wonder if Raph was just playing a prank on them all, but he couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in his gut that there was something dreadfully wrong.<p>

That's when he spotted the uncovered manhole.

Leo's blood ran cold. Looking up at the revealed night sky, he suddenly knew why he couldn't find Raph anywhere in the sewers. Raph wasn't in the sewers.

For possibly the first time in his life, Leonardo felt like swearing. He could recount over a thousand times that Master Splinter had told them to _never_ go to the surface world. They all could. It was simply common knowledge in their household, like the number for an emergency would be in any normal human residence. Raph had done it, though. He had broken the principle rule, gone to the forbidden world, and now he was making Leo do it too.

Well, the eldest of the brothers couldn't very well let Raph go up there alone, now could he? No matter how much he hated to break his master's crucial rule, he knew very well what kinds of things lurked in the surface world and couldn't leave his brother to face them – not alone. So he put his foot on the ladder and climbed. Up and up he went until he finally reached the top and climbed out. The alley that the hole had led to was dark, as it was the middle of the night and very few lights were shining. To the normal inhabitant of New York it wouldn't have seemed like anything special, just menacing and disturbing.

But to Leo it was beautiful. He had only seen bits of the human world from picture books or the television that Donnie had miraculously found and repaired a few years ago, but never had he seen anything like this in person. Black trash bags that couldn't fit in the cans overflowing with refuse lined the walls of the alley, and old light bulbs flickered on and off as if they couldn't decide whether they wanted to stay on or not. The air was crisp and cool, not like the stinking stuff they breathed underground. The things that Leonardo loved the most, though, were the stars. Just the way they glittered brightly, contrasting with the dark sky, enticed him.

It took all of Leonardo's inner resolve to tear his eyes away from the sight and search for Raph. Using his refined ninja skills, he quickly ascended to the top of the nearest building and looked around. He was quickly dismayed. The drop was very far, and he wasn't quite over his fear of heights yet. Not only that, but the city seemed to stretch on forever! How on earth would he ever be able to find Raph in this jungle? Nevertheless, Leo set off to find his brother. Hopping from rooftop to rooftop, he looked this way and that. Every surface seemed to look the same, and he often found himself contemplating if he had already been a certain way before before.

After a while of rooftop hopping and getting nowhere, Leonardo was beginning to lose hope. What would he tell his master if he returned home empty handed? That he had failed him as his eldest son and leader? Maybe Raph was right after all, maybe he wasn't cut out to be the leader. Leo could just imagine Master Splinter's piercing eyes staring at him with sheer disappointment.

Then, amongst the loud and crazy cheers of swaying drunkards and high gamblers, he heard raised voices. One of them was familiar. Leonardo raced to where the noise was coming from. The voices got louder and louder until Leo looked down and saw a group of three men cornering what looked like a small child. It was Raph!

Relieved that he had found his brother, yet afraid for his health, Leo called out as loudly as he could, "Raph!"

The red-banded turtle's head instantly jerked up to see his older brother standing there on the ledge of a building. He grimaced. _"Great,"_ he thought, _"just great. First I get scolded at practice, then I get cornered by these stupid goons who think I'm some kinda dumb animal, and now Leo's here, probably to give me the worst shell-kicking off my life!"_

Seeing that the thugs were getting closer, Raph pulled out his sai and prepared for a fight, but before he could even make a move, two of the goons were on the ground and unconscious. Leo was standing right behind them. His eye twitching, Raph took out the remaining thug while he was stunned. He then turned to face his brother, who was staring at him intensely.

"I coulda handled it myself," he said.

"I know," Leo replied coolly. An awkward silence descended upon the two. Raph prepared himself for the awful rant he just _knew_ was coming, but it never did. Instead, Leo placed his hand on Raph's shoulder and simply said, "I'm glad you're alright."

For once Raph didn't know what to say. Leo should have been furious, but looking into his brother's soothing brown eyes, Raph knew that he was forgiven. In that moment he was finally able to accept that Master Splinter had chosen Leo as the leader. Leo was calm and kind, skilled and talented, but most of all he was his brother, and Raph had forgotten that. He'd been so caught up in his anger to truly understand, but he knew now.

"I'm sorry that I was so hard on you before," Leo apologized. "I don't know what I was thinking. I was very inconsiderate and I apologize for my behavior."

"Nah, it's ok. I guess I was kinda bein' a jerk. It's not your fault," Raph replied, trying to make amends in a very Raph-like way.

"No, really, I'm-"

Before the two could engage in a full out apologizing session, they were startled by someone shouting out, "Joe, Bob! Steve! Yo, what happened to you guys?"

The two young turtles whirled around. Standing behind them was a whole army of gang members. The were big and ugly, but unlike the others they had faced, these guys had weapons. Leo mentally scolded himself for not hearing them approach. How could he not have noticed them?

"It looks like they got knocked out by - what the heck are those things?" another one asked in shock.

All the delinquents followed their comrade's gaze to the surprised turtles at the end of the alley.

"Man, I bet they took out Steve and the other guys," accused the first one. "Get them!"

All of the goons rushed into the alley at once. Leo quickly counted at least twenty of them, and he thought he had even seen guns on a few of them as well. But there was no way out. The alley was a dead end, and it was too risky to climb. They were stuck and had no choice but to fight.

Raph was ok with that. He wasn't as observant as Leo and hadn't seen the hidden guns. He rushed towards the enemies before Leo could warn him, ready to kick the hooligans into next week. The unlucky thug who charged at him first got his club broken and a fist in his face.

The battle that ensued was nasty. Since Leonardo and Raphael were much more skilled than the thugs were, that made for more casualties, but there were more people that they had to deal with, and they couldn't ward off so many attacks at once. Their thick green skin was getting nicked and bruised every second they fought, and their energy was draining quickly. The number of thugs was decreasing quickly, though, and things were looking up. Soon there were only three left and Leo thought that they would make it out of there safe and sound.

"Drop the weapons, freak," one of the thugs said in a deep, gruff voice.

Leo looked at the thug. He had Raph locked in a tight grip and was holding a gun to his head. Right then Leo could just hear Mikey shouting, "Jinx!" in his head.

"I said put them down. Now!" the man shouted. The gun made a clicking sound as he cocked it.

"Alright," Leo said. He slowly leaned over and placed his weapons on the ground.

"No, Leo, don't!" Raph shouted, but it was too late. A thug came up behind Leo and hit him over the head. The unconscious turtle crumpled to the floor.

"Leo!" Raph shouted before his captor knocked him out too and everything went black.

"Oh man, this is crazy!" exclaimed one of the goons.

"What we gonna do, boss?" another asked timidly.

"We gonna take these things back to the warehouse, that's what we gonna do," replied the largest thug who was holding Raph. He put his pistol back in its place. "You two get the blue one, I'll carry this guy."

"But what about the rest of the guys, boss? We just gonna leave them here?"

"Don't ask questions! Just shut up and move!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

><p>"I'm a little tea pot short and stout," Mikey sang.<p>

"Mikey, stop singing that song!" Don exclaimed before he could go any further with the tune. The two of them had searched in the sewers for quite a long time with no clues as to where their brothers had gone. That is, until they saw the uncovered manhole. The two of them had then climbed up the ladder and started their quest above ground. Now they were searching on the rooftops of New York for their lost brothers, like Leonardo had not too long ago.

"But why?" Mikey asked.

"Because that's the forty-third time you've sung that song. It's getting annoying," Don answered.

"Fine."

Don sighed. "I wish Leo and Raph would just stop fighting. It would sure save us a whole lot of trouble."

"What can I say, bro? It comes with the package. You either get the two of them fighting or nothing at all. It's just who they are."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"By the way, do you have any idea where they could be? I mean, we've been searching for, like, twenty minutes."

"I'm not a magician, Mikey."

"Oh! That reminds me of a joke!"

"Alright, go for it."

"What do you get when you cross a really smart dude with a genie?"

"I don't know."

"A Djinn-ius! Get it? Like a genius, but 'djinn' like a genie?"

"Yes, Mikey, I get it."

"Was it really that bad?"

"Well, it was better than some of the other ones."

"I thought it – Donnie, what's wrong?" Mikey asked. His brother had skidded to a stop and was looking down over the edge of the building. Mikey followed his gaze. There in an alley was a pile of bodies that covered most of the floor. "Whoa. Donnie, what happened?"

"It looks like there was a pretty nasty fight," Don replied.

"Do you think Leo and Raph could have been down there?"

"They might have been. If they were, though, then where are they now?"

"Let's go down and look."

Mikey jumped down and landed with cat-like grace and precision. Don did the same and the two searched the area for clues as to where their brothers were. It was a bit hard to see with all the bodies in the way, but something quickly caught Mike's eye.

"Hey, I think I see something shiny!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Where?" asked Don.

"One minute, this guy's sitting on it. I'm trying to get him off. Ah, there!"

"What is it?"

"It's one of Raph's sai! Don, they were here!"

"Raph left his sai here? That doesn't sound like him at all. He never leaves his sai anywhere."

"What if something really bad happened to them and Raph couldn't keep it?" Mikey asked. He was getting scared now.

"Mikey, calm down. We don't even know if Leo was here, much less if-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Don was cut off by the groaning of one of the thugs. Their reflexes as sharp as knives, Mike and Don blended in with the shadows and hid from him as he came to.

"Oh, my head. Where am I?" the confused thug asked himself as he opened his eyes to see his fallen comrades. "Holy smokes, what happened to you guys! Did they really beat us? I gotta get back to the warehouse before the cops show up! Man, the boss is not gonna be happy."

Mike and Don watched as the no good troublemaker scrambled to his feet and ran back the way he had come. "Come on, we have to follow him!" Don exclaimed. "This might be the last chance we have to find our brothers."

Mikey and Don shot after the man, but they kept to the shadows so that they wouldn't be seen. After many minutes of following the man, the turtles found that he had led them to an old, abandoned warehouse far from the life of town. The wood was pale and peeling off, and the crooked nails were poking out far enough that they were visible. The frightened thug ran to the door, which was barely attached to the hinges, and entered the building, leaving the two brothers on the outside.

"It's always an abandoned warehouse," Mikey quipped.

"Let's find a way in," Don said.

The turtles jumped nimbly onto the rickety roof. There was a small opening made from wood being torn off that was large enough for both of them to look through. They watched as the ruffian they had followed joined two of his comrades, who were apparently shocked to see him there.

"What are you doin' here, Fred?" one of them asked.

"I woke up in that alley, and everyone was out cold! I didn't think those things coulda beaten me so bad, but they did," the one named Fred replied.

"Yeah, me neither, but they sure hit us pretty hard. Boss says that we could sell those green-skinned freaks on the market for a pretty penny to make up for the damages."

"So Raph and Leo _were_ there!" Mikey whispered, both excited and frightened. "Let's jump down there now and take them out! Ooh, that reminds me of a joke!"

"Mikey, now's really not the time. Besides, it's too risky to just jump down from here," Don reasoned.

"Alright, so maybe the idea wasn't the best, but you should totally hear my joke!"

"Fine, just this one, but then we have to be serious."

"Sweet! What did the drunk dude say when he jumped into the pool?"

"Huh? Mikey, what kind of question is that?"

"It doesn't matter, just say, 'I don't know.'"

"Ok, I don't know."

"Gin-ronimo! Haha, get it? Because gin has alcohol in it?"

"Yes, yes, I got it. Let's focus now, though, ok?"

"Sure."

Don quickly looked around the area. He knew that they had to find a way to get their brothers free from the clutches of the hooligans. He couldn't find many useful things, just a few nails, wood, and some other debris that had fallen off of the ramshackle building. However, there was a power box nearby that undoubtedly provided electricity to the warehouse.

"Mikey," said Don, "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>Leo's head was pounding. All he could remember was that awful man pointing a gun at his brother's head. It was all blank after that. He hoped Raph was alright. Leo opened his eyes to see where he was, but when he did his vision was extremely blurry. He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes with his hands but found that he couldn't move them. Blinking rapidly to clear up his foggy vision, he looked down to see that his hands were bound with some sort of thick and extremely uncomfortable rope.<p>

_"This isn't good,"_ thought Leo. _"They must have knocked me out and taken us captive!"_

Leo looked around and saw his brother in red struggling with the bonds that restricted his hands and feet as well. "Raph, are you alright?" he inquired.

Raph looked over at his brother and exclaimed, "Leo, thank goodness you're awake! You've been out for a while."

"Where are we?" Leo asked.

"I think we're at the thugs' hideout or somethin'."

Leo looked around. They were in some sort of old warehouse that didn't look like it had been used in years. The wood creaked and stank like some of the things they would find this the sewers from time to time. He saw one of the thugs pacing back and forth on the floor, making the wood squeak.

"Where's the boss?" the delinquent asked one of his partners.

"He's in his office makin' a deal to sell these freaks," came the reply.

"I'm getting' nervous, man. I've got a bad feelin' about all this."

"Relax, nothing's – whoa, what's going on!"

The lights in the building had suddenly turned off and left everyone in the building blind. It was pitch black and impossible to see anything. All of the goons were scrambling about, trying to figure out what had happened and where they were in position to everything else. Though they couldn't see, Leo and Raph could hear what was going on. There were grunts coming from the men, clanging, whacking noises, and other strange sounds. One by one, they heard their captors fall to the ground.

The lights were finally turned back on, and Leo and Raph had to squint since their eyes weren't used to the brightness, but when they could fully see again, they were met with a very welcome sight: Mikey and Don were standing in front of the unconscious goons with big smiles on their faces.

"Don? Mikey! I thought I told you to stay home!" Leo exclaimed. "How did you find us?"

"It wasn't that hard," Don replied as he started to cut off the ropes that bound their hands with a knife he had picked up off of one of the hooligans. "We just found a big pile of bodies and instantly thought of you guys."

"That's nice. Can't you cut any faster, Don?" Raph asked harshly.

Don jumped a bit at his tone of voice but nodded his head quickly and put more force into it. Raph felt guilty, as he had once again snapped at his younger brother who wasn't doing anything wrong. He had saved them for crying out loud!

"Look, Don, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. And I'm sorry about earlier today too. I shouldn't have snapped at ya. You...you forgive me?"

Don blinked a few times at his brother's stunning and completely out of character confession, but when he looked into Raph's eyes and saw his earnest expression, he replied, "Yeah! Of course, Raph." Once he had freed Raph's hands, he moved onto Leo's and freed them in no time.

"So, how did you guys even get into this whole mess in the first place?" Mikey asked. "I mean, there were a _lot_ of bodies."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Raph defended himself as he flexed his free hands. Everyone stared at him incredulously. "Ok, so maybe it was my fault, but I didn't go lookin' for a fight."

"I know, Raph," Leo backed him up. "Well, I sure am ready to go back home. What do you say, guys?"

Mikey was about to answer but was cut off by a low voice shouting, "Freeze!"

All the turtles turned to see the big boss pointing a gun at them. "Don't you move, freaks. I'm not letting you get away," he growled in his gruff voice.

As they stared into the barrel of the gun, the turtles thought they were doomed. Even though it was four to one, the lone thug had a gun and about fifteen feet on his side. There was a very slim chance that one of them would be able to get a lucky hit on him. Fifteen feet is a long distance for an attack, and none of the turtles would risk one of their brothers getting shot.

"That's good," said the thug, "now I want you to – ah!" Before anyone could hear his command, let alone obey it, the goon was on the floor and out of commission with something on top of him.

"Master Splinter!" Leonardo exclaimed as the rat stood up and faced them.

All of the turtles ran to their master and hugged him fiercely. "We thought we were goners," Mikey said.

"You might have been had I not arrived in time," replied the old master as he wrapped his arms around his young sons. "You are very lucky to still be alive, my sons. I have told you countless times to never go to the surface world! Why did you disobey me? These humans could have done terrible things to you."

"I know master. I'm really sorry – we all are," Leo replied.

"Then tell me, why did you do it?" their Sensei asked.

"That's a very, _very_ long story," Mikey answered with a small smile.

* * *

><p>"Do you remember that day, my sons?" Master Splinter asked in his old, strained voice.<p>

"Yes, Sensei, how could we forget?" replied Mikey. "You made us do about a million flips every day for a whole month!"

"What does this story have to do with anything, though?" Leonardo inquired. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters, Leonardo, because on that day you showed me that you could not only act as a team but as a family as well. You proved that you could work together even when circumstances made things extremely difficult. All of you made me both very angry and very proud that day," Master Splinter explained, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"But you're the one who saved us in the end, Master Splinter!" Leo pointed out, the emotions crashing down on him leaving his voice but a harsh whisper.

"That was long ago. Since then I have seen you become the extraordinary beings that you are now. I have faith in you; I have always had faith in you. Please grant your master's final wish and do the same."

"Hai, Sensei," the turtles replied.

"Good. I love you, my sons, perhaps more than you will ever know."

"We love you too, Sensei!"the four brothers cried out together.

Master Splinter smiled and closed his weary eyes to his sons and to the world. So in peace he breathed his last, and in that moment in which he gave up his spirit, he knew that his beloved sons would be alright.


End file.
